BYU Battles in Tie

Ashley Myers | BYU Athletic Communications | Posted Oct 28, 2005

The Cougars battled to a 1-1 tie with archrival Utah (Photo by Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)

PROVO -- The annual BYU-Utah match-up did not disappoint the crowd of over three thousand Friday evening at South Stadium, as the game required two overtimes before ending in a 1-1 draw, the first tie between the two schools in history.

"I thought we played really well, especially in the first 45 minutes," head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "I was so pleased. We did what we wanted to do. We controlled the ball and communicated well. We just couldn't put some combinations in."

After a scoreless first half in which the players hustled through rain and wet grass, BYU scored the first goal of the game in the 52nd minute when Katie Larkin passed the ball to Annie Zwahlen who sent a line drive toward the goal. The ball deflected off of Melissa Wayman from Utah for the goal. The goal marked Zwahlen's third of the season.

Utah came back in the 68th minute when Amanda Chelsea Card sent a pass up field to Adele Letro. Letro forwarded the ball to Amanda Feight, who drove down the left side of the goal with only Woodbury in her way. Feight sent a hard left-footer into the right side of the net. The goal is only the seventh the Cougars have allowed this season.

The most intense moment of the game came with only 15 minutes left in regulation. Letro drove down the right side of the field, drawing Woodbury out of the net. Woodbury slipped leaving Letro with a wide open shot. Letro, who had all day to shoot, shot too lightly, giving Brooke Thulin time to get back on defense. Thulin slid into the right goalpost to make the incredible save.

In the closing seconds of the game, the cougars advanced the ball up field. Brooke Bowman gathered the ball just feet away from the goal. A Utah player shoved Bowman in the closing seconds that would have given BYU a penalty kick. No call was made.

BYU outshot Utah 14-8, including an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal.

"Hopefully this gives our team more desire to finish off some games," Rockwood said. "We are an excellent team who has the capability win and do well in the tournament."

The game was only the third time in history that BYU and Utah went into overtime. Both previous games were played at BYU and resulted in Cougar losses.

BYU's attendance of 3,083 is the third best in school history, as well as the third highest this season.

This week the Cougars head to Las Vegas for the Mountain West Conference Tournament. The tournament bracket will be released by the MWC Sunday.

"Even though we are a ranked team, we need to play like we need to win the tournament," Jaime Rendich Beck said.